Photomusix/C.Marx
Biliana Voutchkova is a thoroughly engaged performer, composer, improviser and curator. Her constant research as a creative artist spans the widest possible range of sound and movement and extends her sonic, technical and physical capacities evolving into the development of a highly individual artistic language. She lives and works in Berlin as a soloist and with renowned ensembles such as United Berlin, Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop, the Splitter Orchestra, Zeitkratzer, Ensemble Modern, Voutchkova/Thieke duo etc. Her work includes regular performances of major solo violin/ensemble works, new music by contemporary composers often written for her, original work including performance, long length formats, multi disciplinary collaborations, real time composition and improvisation.
Biliana is a risk taker approaching contemporary classical repertoire with the same inspiration and freedom characteristic of her forceful improvisations. She has been heard at festivals and concert series worldwide - Transmediale/Vorspiel, Maerz Musik, Option Series, Klangspuren Schwaz, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Experimental Intermedia and Ftarri Festival among those. Her appearances are ranging from celebrated concert venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Berliner Philharmonie and Radial System V in Berlin, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, to the most vivid experimental venues such as Ausland and Kule/Labor Sonor in Berlin, Fylkingen in Stockholm and Cafe Oto in London, and site specific performances at galleries, outdoor locations and other unconventional set ups. Biliana is the founder and curator of the DARA String Festival and a recent recipient of the Composition Stipend from the Berliner Senate, grands from INM/Berlin, Musikfonds and the Trust for Mutual Understanding/New York.
Recent/current projects include solo tours in Colombia, Chile, USA, France, Australia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, long durational performances at gallery Sammlung Hoffmann Berlin and Museum of Silence for the Gallery Weekend Berlin with "Blurred Music", the premiers of her variable piece “Amati Lenta” (with Olivia Block) and “Golden delusions” (with Akemi Nagao, Junko Wada, Hans Peter Kuhn) at the One Dance Week festival in Plovdiv (European capital of culture 2019), collaborations with Olaf Nicolai, She She Pop/Zeitkratzer and the Berliner Ensemble, the upcoming release “für Biliana”, releases of her solo album "Modus of Raw” and the triplet "Blurred Music" which were received with critical acclaim worldwide.
Born in the family of musicians, Biliana Voutchkova begins playing violin at the age of four, makes her orchestra debut at the age of nine, and records her first CD for the Japanese label Crown Record Ltd. at the age of sixteen. She studies classical violin, in her college years starts being involved with the contemporary and improvised music scene in New York. Among her teachers are Peter Arnaoudov, Abram Stern and Felix Galimir. Ms. Voutchkova holds degrees from the University of Southern California and New School for Social Research/Mannes College of Music in New York (MM in music). She has received top honours at the Kozian International Music Competition, CRS National Competition for Performing Artists, and Music and the Earth International Contemporary Music Competition. At the age of nineteen, she was invited to the United States, and was presented the special Jasha Heifetz Violin Scholarship for for her studies at the University of Southern California. After her move to New York in 1995 her continuous interest and exploration of the music of today remains being a major part of her work.
